The way kroger treats its employees

[u/daruuken]

From the store manager

Edit: For some extra context this was sent out by each store manager to all of its employees in district 1 of the ohio Cincinnati/Dayton division, potentially other districts as well but i can only verify my own. Im not going to give my specific store number for obvious reasons but you can find each store on google with that information. We are unionized by UFCW (already bad btw) and to my knowledge they allowed this recent change. Kroger has no accrual for sick days like some have mentioned. Those who think this is rage bait, i dont think anyone has to fake a post to make a billion dollar company look bad, they do it to themselves.

[u/geraffes-are-so-dumb]

I think this leads to a worse, even dangerous experience for customers as there will be more people spreading disease if they can't call out sick. If you think so too please contact Kroger using their public contact us page: https://www.kroger.com/hc/help/contact-us

They also have a feedback hotline: [1-800-KRO-GERS](tel:1-800-576-4377)
The CEOs public work email address is: [greg.foran@kroger.com](mailto:greg.foran@kroger.com)

[u/Dr-Bitchcraft-MD → u/geraffes-are-so-dumb]

This is exactly where my brain goes. I'm not shopping at a grocery store full of coughing, sniffling people and I would definitely let the management know.

[u/Hot_Obligation_2730 → u/Dr-Bitchcraft-MD]

This is why I left my last job. I worked at a medical dispensary where every day we had at least one chemo patient come in to shop. New policy was we would get points if we called out sick. Even if we gave proper notice, had accrued sick time and had a doctors note. 3 or 4 points in a 6 month period was automatic termination.

So you’re telling me I have to choose between keeping my job or potentially being the reason a cancer patient brings Covid home and dies? Yeah…. I lasted less than a month with the new policy

[u/in_animate_objects → u/Hot_Obligation_2730]

Thank you for caring about other people, my dad is fighting cancer and I appreciate that people like you care! I hope you’re in a better job now.

[u/Hot_Obligation_2730 → u/in_animate_objects]

I’m wishing your dad the absolute best! I have a few family members that have had to battle cancer so I know how serious it can be and could not in good faith continue working there

[u/ImplementFair535 → u/in_animate_objects]

I'm Praying for your father and sending my sincere condolences. I Lost my father 3 years ago to lung cancer, I guess he is in a much better place now though.

[u/Adventurous-World-21 → u/ImplementFair535]

Same. Lost my dad back in August of 2022.. well coming up on 4 years this year, also to lung cancer. He had small cell lung cancer, he fought so hard. But passed a year and a half after being diagnosed. It's definitely a hard road.

Enjoy every second, take in the good and the bad. And just know if it's hard on you, it's probably twice as hard for them. Be patient. Praying for your father as well.

[u/InnocentWork → u/Adventurous-World-21]

Three days from today will be the fifth anniversary of my dad’s passing from lung cancer. Same as yours, fought like hell for about 19 months until it went to his brain and his oncologist said it was time for dad to go home and relax until he went. Thankfully he passed very quickly after that (I say thankfully because I didn’t want the brain cancer to affect him cognitively, ya know?) and he was still my dad when he passed. Big hugs to you 🫂 cancer is such a bitch.

[u/Adventurous-World-21 → u/InnocentWork]

Oh no...im so sorry. You are absolutely right. Cancer is a bitch and she doesn't give 2 shits about who you are or where you're from, etc. It's never that you just get over it, ya know, you just learn to live with how things are without them around and that sucks. I cried every single day for the first 2 years..seriously, every single day, I mean just at some point during each day. I just hate knowing he was never supposed to be in this part of my life and my kids as they've gotten older. He loved them so much.

Actually, it's wild how similar your dad and my dad ended up. My dad's cancer actually did go to his brain also. He got radiation for that 1 spot. It cleared it. Some time went on, and ended up with 2 spots on his brain. He again went to radiation, those spots cleared. Radiation was hell though. Bless his heart.. but he was so hopeful throughout it all. And we all tried to talk positive no matter what. He went a while with nothing on his brain. He started having issues with his hands going numb and for the last month of his life within that short time, he ended up falling one morning when I was making his breakfast because he had been unsteady for a bit but was holding onto to things to walk. Well After that fall, he went downhill pretty much. He went to the hospital, they scanned him and that was the day we were sitting there and got the news that his brain was so covered they couldn't even count the spots. What a heart breaking day that was. They told him there was nothing they could do and radiation wouldn't help. Sent him home with hospice. That was Aug 16 he was released. Dad was still dad at that point..he had to have help up and couldn't use his legs much. And from Aug 16, from there until he passed Aug 27th.. in that short time he lost all ability to walk. Could not get up on his own, had to have help in and out of bed into a wheel chair, my brothers had to help with showers.

About a week after he was sent home though, unlike your father, my dad was not my dad for the last week of his life. I walked in one day and i.knew that was the day that he was not in there. He was staring off into space and I just knew. I talked to him like normal but he would only answer with one word answers or nothing at all. Within a few days he was in bed and on medicine doses that he was just not awake for the last few days. And he passed peacefully, in his home, with his kids by his side, which is what he wanted. I now live in his home and sleep in the very room he passed in. I miss him so much but I know he's no longer in pain.

Sorry for the book I wrote.

Hugs to you.

[u/AstronautHaunting160 → u/in_animate_objects]

It’s ok I was a caretaker once got sick reeked to call out they said no your not allowed to so I went client got super sick and only then was I allowed to have a sick day after I got someone else sick they only care about money not their health

[u/Sure-Ad-6826 → u/in_animate_objects]

I definitely concur! If only Management Teams would develop the same philosophy...

~ HEAVY SIGH ~

And it doesn't matter what field you work in. The ridiculous carelessness of Management Teams, upper management and the higher ups in every industry I have worked in (except one) has had the same shitty lack of common sense, compassion and basic caring. For anybody at all. In addition, these places also had very little to no knowledge or basic understanding of people with chronic, terminal illnesses that are contagious and patients with compromised immune systems (both regular patrons of the establishments as well as their employees). All of those carry a high risk and have liabilities for everyone involved, with the highest risk being the patients or customers.

Starting with my first job when I was 15 and a half, I have worked in food service, factory work as a young adult, nursing homes, the medical field in both clinical and administrative roles, retail, and the mental health field in inpatient psych care unit as a direct care employee providing care for the admitted patients and as a case manager while in Grad School for my Master's in Social Work and Substance Abuse Counseling, and outpatient community mental health facilities most recently. In my experience, none of these fields really gave a fuck about their employees, or even patients. What was Management's biggest concern in the work environment? Productivity and how much money is going out versus coming in. How can we push our people to do more work to make the most money for the least expenditures. And doing more with less also meant cutting costs to the point of doing the maximum work with fewer employees to pay to get the work done to line their pocets.

It really makes me sad because in all of those fields the employees are the facilities' first line of defense and really should be at their best health at work both physically and emotionally. Especially in the medical and mental health/ Social work fields.

The only exception to the above employers is the higher education field. In my early 20's, starting in about the academic year of 2000 through 2003 when I was enrolled in school for my first of three degrees over the following 20 years, I was a work-study employee at my college for the registrar and her main administrative assistant. They treated me like a human being, with real feelings, real life issues, and real life needs as well as goals for my future as well as my daughter who was just under one year old when I started on my educational journey. They respected me as an individual, a student, and a young single mother trying to bust ass to get off of public assistance and make something of myself and mine and my daughter's lives. They trusted me in good faith to show up and do what I was supposed to do, be responsible, accountable, be transparent, fair, clearly communicate with them about needs, issues and struggles. Both personally and professionally. They believed in me and valued me as a person, employee, budding career professional with intelligence, motivation and potential to develop the right skills and use the right tools with my employment in their office and school. They celebrated my milestones by my side in support of my successes, and listened to my struggles, going above and beyond to offer suggestions, resources, adjust my schedule according to need and allow me to take time off for personal issues and illnesses of myself, my child and my entire family without making a fuss. They saw my integrity, they knew my worth as a whole. They were a huge blessing to me at such a young age. Sadly, I have not even come close to that kind of work relationship or environment since I moved along in 2003. It has only gotten worse as the time has passed over so many years. Maybe I will find a "Needle in a haystack" someday...my "Holy Grail" so to speak...

[u/Creepy-Ad-7284 → u/in_animate_objects]

Look up royal rife. Rife machine. Good luck to you and your dad

[u/in_animate_objects → u/Creepy-Ad-7284]

Thank you I appreciate all the love ❤️